8 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

Wow, I am fascinated with the whole Storyville history, love Bellocq's photos and this book really captured the atmosphere of what that era must have been life. I took the afternoon off and read the whole book. I did NOT guess who the murderer was.
A fine read!

I grew up in the New Orleans area and love my heritage so much that I have studied many aspects of the town, including Storyville. Even though this book is fictional, it has accurate facts about Storyville along with the music of the era. I was very surprised to learn that this was David Fulmer's first novel.

I enjoyed the character development, the historical references and the political machinations developed over a place and timeframe that I knew little about. Good mystery with a logical timeline but still a complete surprise to me at the end. Definitely not a cozy mystery.

Novel is fairly graphic surrounding the murders. Good protagonist development. Looking forward to reading the sequel 'Rampart Street.' Love the New Orleans setting and the history of Storyville as the backdrop.

Very engaging novel set in the New Orleans of 1907. The novel's protagonist, Valentin St. Cyr, is a Creole detective trying to unravel the murders of several prostitutes in Storyville, New Orleans' notorious red-light district. The mystery of who committed the crimes makes a very engrossing story and I was surprised who the culprit turned out to be. But overall, the most interesting part of the novel is the rich detail of New Orleans and its inhabitants during that time period. These include Buddy "King" Bolden who was a key figure in the development of a New Orleans style of rag-time music, or Jass, which later came to be known as jazz. Bolden is a main character in the novel, a lifelong friend of St. Cyr, and a suspect in the murders.

Then there is Storyville with its notorious madams such as Lulu White and Emma Johnson and the photographer, E.J. Bellocq, who captured the life of the prostitutes working there on film. Jelly Roll Morton, the early ragtime pianist also plays a role in the story.

Overall, I would recommend this one to anyone interested in New Orleans and the early history of jazz and the city.